This invention relates generally to signal processing in communications systems to equalize the signal transmission medium and to compensate for frequency-dependent signal impairment, and more particularly to electronics circuits and methods for equalizing and compensating for frequency-dependent signal attenuation and the like.
The signal transmission medium of most communication systems is lossy regardless of whether the transmission medium is a transmission line, an optical fiber, or free space, and will characteristically impose a frequency-dependent degradation on signals carried over the medium. Signal attenuation is generally the most significant contributor to signal impairment, and typically is frequency and distant dependent with greater attenuation at higher frequencies and greater distances. To transmit high-speed, high-bit rate digital signals over a lossy transmission line requires signal processing to overcome signal impairments caused by the transmission lines due to signal attenuation, group delay, crosstalk noise from other signals present on other lines, signal reflections, radio-frequency noise, impulse noise, and the like. Signal attenuation increases with frequency and line length. Therefore, the maximum bandwidth and the maximum achievable data transmission rate both decrease as line length increases. The achievable data rate and bandwidth are also limited by other factors such as group delay, which is a function of frequency, as well as crosstalk and noise. The significance of such factors depends on the type of transmission medium. Unshielded twisted pair, for example, is more susceptible to signal impairment due to external factors such as crosstalk and common mode interference than is, for instance, a coaxial cable. All types of transmission media exhibit signal degradation, and some types are more lossy than others.
Because of the abundance of twisted pair transmission lines, it is desirable to use these transmission lines for transmitting high-speed, high-bit rate digital signals. The lossy characteristics of such transmission lines, however, limit their utility as a transmission medium for this type of high-speed, high-bit rate data signals. It is desirable to compensate for the adverse signal impairment effects on these and other types of transmission lines in order to afford reliable transmission at higher data rates and greater distances than are currently attainable. It is further desirable to effect such compensation with relatively simple, inexpensive and low power consumption electronics. It is to these ends that the present invention is directed.